Until recently, most bombs were of the unguided, gravity type. The bomb was aimed by the motion of the aircraft on which it was carried and which flew approximately over the target. The bomb was released from a location on the flight path estimated to cause the bomb to fall onto its target. After the bomb was dropped there was no control over its motion. The result was that the aircraft was exposed to defensive measures over the target for an extended period of time in a flight path that was required to be straight and level, and the accuracy of the bombing was always somewhat problematic.
Recent developments improved upon this type of earlier munition in important ways. Wings were affixed to the bomb so that it could be dropped at a distance from the target of many miles and would glide to its target. The bomber aircraft consequently had far less exposure to defensive measures. The glide bomb was also provided with movable control surfaces and a guidance system, typically based upon cooperation with a laser designator, an inertial navigation system, or the global positioning system. The guidance capability greatly improved the accuracy of the bombing and reduced collateral damage.
The flight distance of a glide bomb depends upon several factors, one of which is the length of the wings. Long, slender wings result in long glide distances. However, long, slender wings take up a great deal of space in the bomb deployment racks on the launching aircraft. It has therefore become an established practice to fold the wings to a folded position along the fuselage of the glide bomb for storage, and then to pivot the wings to an open, deployed position when the bomb is dropped.
However, even this approach is not fully satisfactory in that it does not permit optimal-length and optimal-performance wings to be used with many types of bombs. There is accordingly a need for an improved approach to glide bombs and other types of winged weapons such as some types of powered missiles, which further improves their aerodynamic performance. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.